Great, Hope thought. A lot of good going to church had done her.

She said, “My sister needed a ride home from a party. She’s with Hollis.” Hope paused, wondering if mention of Curren’s sister would help her cause. “But then Allegra decided she wanted to stay, and Brick was ready to go, so I’m taking him home. I’m sorry I was all over the road. I was changing the radio station, and I got distracted.”

“Your radio isn’t even on,” Curren said.

“I know,” Hope said. “I turned it off when you pulled me over.”

Curren studied Brick for a second and then Hope for a longer second. Finally, he said, “Hollis is bad news.”

Hope stared at the steering wheel, afraid to agree or disagree.

“Is your sister bad news?” Curren asked. He kind of sounded like he hoped Allegra was bad news. If he had pulled Allegra over and she had been alone, Hope was pretty sure she knew what would have happened.

“Yes,” Brick said.

This made Curren—Officer Brancato—laugh. He said, “I’m going to let you go with just a verbal warning.”

Hope exhaled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Curren said. His voice was half-kind and half-congratulatory of his own magnanimity. “Be good, be smart, stay out of trouble, go to college.”

Hope nodded solemnly, as though this were good, original advice.

Curren handed back her license and registration. “Okay, Hope. See you in church.”

Hope drove home at the cautious speed of twenty-five miles per hour, feeling the giddy lightness of someone who has been let off the hook. Brick fell asleep. When Hope pulled up to the Llewellyn house, Hope nudged him, and, like a robot, he climbed out of the car and lurched for the front door. Hope thought to warn him not to tell anyone—especially not his parents, especially not Allegra—that she’d been pulled over. But she doubted he would remember it, anyway.

Allegra shook Hope awake in the middle of the night. It took a minute for Hope to figure out what, exactly, was happening, but then she saw her sister’s face twisted in anger. Allegra’s lip was curled, and her hair tickled Hope’s face, which was effective torture.

Hope pushed Allegra away. “Get off me,” she said. “What are you doing?”

“You and Brick got pulled over,” she said. “Curren texted Hollis right away. He said something was going on between the two of you.”

“What?” Hope said.

“He said you were driving all over the road. Which says to me that the two of you were fooling around.”

“What?” Hope said.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Hope. I don’t believe the naive act. I know you nearly had sex with Calgary. I know you know what you’re doing with boys. You had your hands on Brick tonight, or you let him put his hands on you.”

“I did not,” Hope said. “Now get away from me, please. Get out of my room.”

“You went after my boyfriend,” Allegra said. “I know you like him, Mopey Hopey. I know you want him.”

“Do not call me that,” Hope said. Mopey Hopey: the insidious nickname that Allegra had invented the day they started middle school. “Really, what do you care? You’ve been cheating on Brick left and right with Ian Coburn, including tonight, right in front of his face. I’m sure you’re glad I took Brick home so you didn’t have to deal with him.”

“He stole my phone to text you!” Allegra said. “The two of you have something going on.”

“We do not,” Hope said. “Don’t be a douche waffle.”

From out of the dark air came a hard, stinging slap. Hope gasped. It hurt enough for her to cry, but she wouldn’t give Allegra the satisfaction. Hope pulled her duvet over her head and said, “I’m not going to sink to your level, Allegra. Now, get out of my room.”

“I’m going to tell everyone what a slut you are,” Allegra said. “Stealing your twin sister’s boyfriend.”

“What a slut I am?” Hope said. “That’s rich. I could just as easily call Hollis tomorrow and tell her about you and Ian Coburn. Or I’ll tell Brick. Or I’ll tell them both. Brick has pretty much figured it out, anyway. He was asking me what I knew, and I was so freaked out that I crossed the centerline. Because I was worried you were going to get caught. I was worried for you, Allegra. Now, good night.”

NANTUCKET

Did you hear?

Hope Pancik had slept with Brick Llewellyn. Sergeant Curren Brancato, whom many of us still thought of as Blue Thunder #33, had found them parked on a dirt lane off Shimmo Pond Road, buck naked, Hope’s bare feet pressed up against the steamed window, a pile of clothes strewn across the backseat of the Panciks’ Jeep.

Certain details corroborated this story. Allegra wasn’t walking with Brick between classes anymore. Instead, Allegra walked with Hollis Brancato and Bluto, while Brick hung out with Parker Marz. Parker was the shortest, smallest player on the Whaler varsity baseball team, the weakest link, but he had gumption and spirit, and he had jumped at the chance to be Brick’s sidekick.

Hope and Allegra didn’t speak to each other during the school day, but they had never spoken much before. Hope sat with her smart math friends at lunch in what seemed like a subdued state, and she left lunch early to head to the band room to practice the flute. When she passed through the cafeteria, someone let go a wolf whistle, to which she did not respond.